Batman: The story of Kye Drees
by Stateofthought
Summary: Kye Drees is a young girl who had to grow up in East Gothem, where crime, gangs, and the mafia were a norm. After her parents were killed by Slade Wilson, Kye was left with an emotional burdon that she would have to deal with growing up. After being nearly beaten to death by her orphanage care taker, she is adopted by Bruce Wayne, who she also met on the night of her parents death.
1. Chapter 1

7-year-old Kye Drees stood in the closet with her two older brothers, listening to the screams of their mother, father, 12-year-old sister, and baby brother be beaten and then shot to death by non other than, Slade Wilson. Kye looked through a small keyhole as her other two brothers were huddled tightly together. She watched one by one as her sibilings and parents fell. Kye then sat down next to her oldest brother, Tyler. Tyler was 11 years old. On the other side of him was their other brother, James. He was only 9. Kye snuggled into her brother, then layed her head on his shoulder, as his arm was wrapped around her, trying to find comfort in everything that was going on. She listened to his pounding heart, waiting for him to say, "it will be ok." However, they had to keep quiet, as there were still footsteps outside the closet. "What do we do now?" James whispered. Kye looked over and saw an air vent. She walked over to it and whispered, "Here!" They crawled in. They crawled around for what seemed like an hour, but was actually 20 minutes. After they found their way, they exited out a vent hole leading into an Alleyway. It was unusually quiet out. They lived in an apartment in east Gothem. East Gothem is the most troubled part of Gothem. Gangs, mafia, drug wars, just name it. Not really the best place to grow up. Once in the Alleyway, the three kids all exchanged the look of, "now what?" They started walking down the street. They knew that their father had been working with a man named Slade Wilson, but they didn't know who he was or what they did together. They knew he was the killer because of their father saying, "Slade is coming for a visit," right before rushing the children into the closet. As the kids started walking, they heard footsteps right behind them. They slowly turned their heads to see Slade. Slade grabbed Tyler and held him in a one-arm lock, holding a gun to his head. "Let him go, you dirt bag!" Kye screamed as she started stepping towards him. Slade then shot at her foot, not actually hitting it. "Take one more step, I dare you." Slade said as he put his finger on the trigger of the gun to Tyler's head. "Run! I'll be ok," said Tyler with tears running down his face. Just then, a shadow started flying in. Out of nowhere, a shadow swooped in on a line and kicked Slade, sending him flying into some garbage cans. Tyler took a hard fall to the ground, but was all right. Kye and James helped Tyler up. They went behind a nearby dumpster to hide as the tall black shadow and Slade battled it out. Kye stuck her head out to watch. Suddenly, Slade stopped fighting and said, "Another day," then ran and disappeared into a dark space between two buildings. The three kids stayed behind the dumpster the whole night. That morning, James and Tyler woke up, but Kye was still awake. It was about 3 in the morning. They watched as some cop cars, an ambulance, and a fire truck went by and pulled up next to their old ratty apartment building. The kids watched as they carried the bodies of their parents, sister, and baby brother out of the building. A tear ran down Tyler and James' faces, but not Kye's. They spent the whole day scavenging for food to eat. They looked through garbage cans and ate scraps of left overs they could find. That night, they slept behind the same dumpster. Kye again, couldn't sleep. She watched her brothers sleep for a few hours. Then, Kye decided to go on a walk. She found a ladder that lead to the top of a twelve story abandoned building. She climbed up it. She walked to the edge and sat down, with her feet hanging off the edge. She could see some of Gotham from her view. Drug deals going on, police sirens, and the highway traffic from the various sports events letting out. She stood there watching the city for half an hour until, a black figure started creeping across the rooftop. Kye gasped and was ready to let out a scream until she noticed; it was the man who saved Tyler from earlier. She then watched him as he came across the roof towards her. Saying nothing, Batman sat next to her and looks out at the city. "Nice night, isn't it," Batman said. "It's alright," Kye said looking down at how high up she was. "Last night. Do you know who that man was?" asked Batman. "Yeah. He worked with my dad on something. I'm not exactly sure on what though. He always told us to call him uncle Slade. I never did, though. I didn't trust him," explained Kye. Batman looked at her. "Did you know it was him when he killed your parents?" he asked. "I had a feeling," admitted Kye. "I wasn't really surprised, though." Batman looked at her. "Why weren't you surprised?" "I knew my dad was involved in the drug wars from letters in the trash I've read. From the letters, I knew Slade was involved," said Kye, "Growing up on the streets of east Gotham, news about people gets around," she continued explaining, "I just don't see what caused him to do this, how could he do this to me? What did I ever do to him?" "That's the thing about Slade. You don't know why or how he does things," said Batman, "He's crazy. Just like any other lunatic in this city. But he's not just crazy, he's smart," he continued, "I suspect he became 'friends' with your father just to get control of the drug wars and mafia, both of which your father was in charge of. From there, he'll get whatever he wants, and one day, maybe even control of Gotham's criminals. He's a dangerous man right now." Kye breathed deeply to hold in her tears, which she has been doing since the tragic night. "It's alright, you can cry," said Batman. "I don't want to start crying," said Kye looking down at her feet, "If I start, I may never stop." Batman looked at her for a few moments. "Sometimes you just need to let it out, you just can't let those emotions get the best of you," said Batman, "Emotion doesn't make you weak, it's what you do with it that makes you weak." A few tears started going down Kye's face. Batman then got up from sitting on the edge, took off his cape, and put it of Kye's shoulders. Kye then stood up. "I don't know what we're gonna do now, or where we're gonna go," said Kye. "I know where to take you guys," Batman responded as he picked Kye up. Kye rested her head on Batman's shoulder as he carried her down from the building. Kye then fell asleep for the first time in over two days. She woke up in commissioner Gordon's office with her brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

The three were put into an orphanage called Herschel Orphanage where the kids were treated TERRIBLY. They were abused and put to work cleaning.

Not a day went by that Kye didn't think about Slade. The vision of her parents being murdered was just too much. She even started having nightmares about them being put to death. Now Slade was in charge of Gotham's drug trade, could eventually take over all crime in Gothem, and nobody was doing anything about it. Kye thought of all this every night, trying to sleep. It was as if there was no end.

The orphanage they were at has a 16 policy. Anyone 16 or older has to leave the orphanage. Many are thrown out to the streets. Most end up in a gang and or in the drug wars themselves, setting up for a life of crime.

Kye remembered something important. Tyler's 16th birthday was only a few days away. Everyone dreaded the day of his or her 16th birthday. It meant going out on the streets. On the bright side, you get out on Herschel's orphanage. But now you need to fend for yourself, and a chance for a decent life, was very slim.

The night before Tyler's birthday, Kye and Tyler couldn't sleep. There was only one mattress for the three of them to share, however, James and Kye agreed to let Tyler have it since it was the last time in awhile he'd have a bed to sleep on.

It was stormy out that night and Kye just sat there looking at the raindrops race down the one window in the small room the siblings had stayed in the last few years. "You still 'wake too?" asked Tyler. "Kinda." Kye responded, "Why do you have to go? Can't they make an exception to you?" "I wish. But rules are rules," Tyler said as he shrugged. "I'll tell you what. Come here." Tyler said patting the mattress. Kye got up, and layed down next to her brother. Tyler wrapped his arms around his sister and just held her for a few minutes. "Once I get out of here, I am going to find a job, make some money, and by the time you and James are out of here, we are going to buy an apartment," explained Tyler, "Then we will have our own beds, our own rooms, and good food to eat. Not the moldy crap they serve us here." "That'll be the day," Kye said as she started drifting off to sleep in her brother's arms.

The three kids had a rude awakening in the morning with a loud knocking and a, "Get up you brats, time for school." Though if it were up to the owner, Linda Herschel, the kids wouldn't be going to school. They'd just work all day, like in the summer and on weekends. As the three got ready, they wondered if they had forgotten it was time for Tyler to leave. They tried not to think about it too much. They got dressed in their uniforms for school. They went to the Gotham Academy. Kids in orphanages usually can't afford schooling, so many donate to the orphanages around Gotham for that reason. The biggest donor was none other than Bruce Wayne. As the kids got ready, Ms. Herschel started yelling at James for missing a spot while sweeping the day prior. She slapped him across the face, giving him a black eye, and sending him flying to the ground. Ms. Herschel felt content and started walking away with a smile on her face. Kye looked at her brother holding his eye, and looked at Ms. Herschel walking away. Kye then got up, and threw a shoe at Ms. Herschel and yelled, "WITCH." With a red face, she turned around and started running at the girl at full speed. Kye didn't know what to do, so she just stood there. Ms. Herschel grabbed her arm, digging her nails into Kye. She took Kye to the back of the orphanage, threw her in a shed, and locked the shed shut. Kye sat there for 4 hours, wondering what would happen next. She then heard footsteps coming closer towards the shed. The door was unlocked and opened. Ms. Herschel stood there with a shoe, the one that was thrown at her. She slowly closed the door behind her as she stared at the 11-year-old girl in front of her. Kye looked at her and said, "Do your worst. I dare you." Ms. Herschel started beating Kye with the shoe. "How does that feel?" Ms. Herschel said as she pounded the shoe against Kye's head. Herschel then threw down the shoe and started pounding Kye with her cold, bony fists. After 10 minutes, Ms. Herschel stopped. "Maybe you'll think twice now before you act." Ms. Herschel said as she kicked Kye one more time. At this point, Kye was on the ground, coughing up blood. Ms. Herschel dragged Kye out of the shed, and back into the orphanage. Kye was going in and out of consciousness. In the Orphanage building, there was a steep staircase that was to the right, right as you entered the building. Ms. Herschel made it look like Kye just simply fell off the staircase. Herschel then finally called for an ambulance.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kye woke up in a hospital bed. Her head was throbbing, along with the rest of her body. She looked at her arms and legs, covered in bruises. Her mouth tasted like blood.

She heard voices in the hallway. It was talking to some investigators. "The story I gave you is the truth. I would never hurt any of the poor children." said Herschel."How would you explain the separate bruises all over her body? Some even look like fingerprints." said the investigator."How am I suppose to know? I wasn't even in the room. I just heard a thump and I went running in to see poor Kye on the ground. There has been suspicion that her brothers abuse her," said Herschel, "I wouldn't even doubt if James was the one who pushed her."

Kye clenched her fists and started to move herself to the edge of the bed to get up. She was beyond angry. Once Kye got up on her feet, she started wobbling to gain balance. The investigator saw her and yelled, "Someone catch her before she…!" Then Kye dropped to the floor.

A few hours later, she woke up. James was by her side, holding her hand. Kye smiled, and then looked around. "Where's Tyler?" James looked at her, then the ground.

"He left the Orphanage yesterday. No one has seen him since." explained James. Suddenly a man walked into the room. It was the investigator from before. He looked at James. "Are you James Drees?" "Yes," he responded. "Come with me." The investigator led James out of the room.

Kye saw him reach for his handcuffs as they were leaving the room. Kye's eyes widened. "WAIT!" she yelled, as the door slammed shut. "What are you doing? What is this? I didn't do anything!" yelled James outside of the room.

Tears started flowing down Kye's face. It was quiet in the room for a few seconds. Then suddenly, walked in.

"Why the tears darlin'?" said with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know," said Kye. "Your brother will have a nice place in jail..." "Where you should be," interrupted Kye. "Keep it up, Ms. attitude. You get released tomorrow morning, back to the orphanage," said Herschel. Ms. Herschel whispered in Kye's ear,"I can make your life a living hell." "You already have." Kye responded.

"Now get some rest darlin, and if you need anything, just ask!" Herschel said loudly so the doctors and nurses could hear. Kye just rolled her eyes. That night, Kye couldn't sleep. Both her brothers were gone, and Herschel was surely not going to let the little, "incident" down.

Around one in the morning, a black shadow came through the window. Kye looked over. "Haven't seen you in awhile," said Kye as she smiled. "Thought it was about time we'd catch up," said Batman.

Kye's smile then the smile turned into a look of concern. "Whats the real reason you are here?" she asked. "He's back."

(Please keep reading… may be a boring part of the story, but it will get better.)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After a few days in the hospital, Kye finally was released to go home to Herschels. Though she felt a bit better, she was still in a bit of pain and was told to "take it easy." It was Saturday night, about 8:00 when everyone was getting ready for bed. Kye was laying on her bed staring at the old, cracked ceiling, when Ms. Herschel walked in. Kye sat up and looked at Herschel with wide eyes.

"What did I do now?" Kye asked. Herschel walked around the room. "I'm here to tell you, that investigators are coming tomorrow. They will be asking several questions about the recent events..." "And you're here to tell me to lie," interrupted Kye. "Actually, yes. However, go ahead and save your brother. But what you're not going to do is tell them the real story." said Herschel as she picked up and looked at a picture of Kye, James, and Tyler. She then looked at it while she proceeded to explain, "If you tell them the real story, there will be consequences." She tossed the picture at Kye, and Kye caught it. She stared at it and got the message. Herschel walked out.

Kye then turned around and punched the wall. Her hand was throbbing, but she was too angry to even notice. At around 1am, Kye was still awake."What did I ever do to deserve this?" she thought time and time again. "Ty has to be out there somewhere," she whispered to herself as she got up and put on one of James' old hoodies, and put the picture of her and her brothers in a backpack. She then opened her window, and stepped out onto the roof.

On the side of the orphanage building, was a sturdy, metal gutter, which Kye used to lower herself down to ground level.

Kye looked around and didn't know where to start. She walked about 15 blocks towards downtown Gotham, until she saw a man with a sunken face, really skinny, and barely had any hair. He was a heroin addict, in his mid 30's. Kye kept on walking, hood up, and hands in her pockets. The man started walking behind her. He followed Kye for another block and a half until she finally turned around and said, "Can I help you?" "Actually, you can." the man said as he pulled out a gun. "Money. Now." he said sternly pointing the gun inches from Kye's face.

"Sorry dude, I got nothin'." explained Kye, unphased. The man suddenly grabbed Kye, and pinned her against a brick building. "I'm not going to ask again," the man said as he put the gun to her cheek. "You got some nerve asking a kid for money," she said. "I'm desperate," he said. "Obviously," Kye rolled her eyes. She then suddenly kicked her legs up, and kicked the man in the back of the head. He let go of Kye. Kye then kicked the gun out of the mans hand as he tried to gain balance from the dizziness. She went and grabbed the gun. A sharp pain ran up her right side, as she remembered that she was still recovering from an injury.

Kye looked back onto the sidewalk to see the man on his hands and knees. He was still dizzy, and probably still feeling the works of heroine. Kye walked over to him, and put the gun to his face. "I should not be doing this," she thought. The man looked up and threw himself back in fear of the gun. " I'm sorry! I really am!" He yelled,"I'm out of money and I need a hit!" Kye looked at the man. "You're pathetic." She said as she put the gun down. "I need your help." Kye said. The addict looked at her confused. The man was sitting on the ground, and Kye kneeled right next to him, and pulled out a picture. "Have you seen him?" Kye asked pointing at Tyler in the picture. "Yeah! He's the new dealer in town." Kye looked at him confused."But you didn't hear from me," the man continued.

"In that case, I need a favor," said Kye. "What?" "Take me to him." Kye said in a demanding tone. The heroine addict looked at her. "Two minutes ago, I was pointing a gun at your face, and now you want me to take you to some guy?" Kye nodded her head. "It's not just any guy, he's my brother," The man looked at Kye surprised. "You're his sister? Dude, this kid is big news!" he said, "News on the street is, this kid is the best cook in town." "What are you talking about?" asked Kye, confused. "This guy, your brother, makes the strongest...best heroine around." "Ok? I need you to take me to him." said Kye. "Ok, but just to warn ya', the big man ain't so nice," said the man. Kye was done asking questions and didn't bother to even ask about the 'big guy'. "Let's go," Kye said as she started walking with her left hand covering her right side from the pain, and the gun, in her right hand… Just in case.

They walked for what seemed like hours, but was only 30 minutes. The addict kept looking over at Kye. He kept wondering how this little 12 year old girl was so headstrong. "I don't think I ever really introduced myself…" he said. "Everyone calls me Blaze." Kye just looked at him. "I guess I have nothing left to lose," she thought, "I'm Kye." she said in a soft voice. "Cool," Blaze responded.

They walked in silence for another hour, until they came up to an old small abandoned house on the outskirts of the City. "Shhh," said Blaze as they came up to the house. They crouched down and looked into the window. They saw Tyler talking with a tall man, who was pacing around the room. "I said 1 pound today. You couldn't even do that!" said the tall man as he slammed his fist onto a desk. "It was just a slow day. I will sell a pound and whatevers left tomorrow," said Tyler in a shaky voice. "You better hope you do. I'm giving you the chance of a lifetime here, Drees. A partnership anyone would be dying to have," said the man. "Who is that?" whispered Kye. "The boss," responded Blaze.

"I will give you one more chance. Don't ruin it, " said "the boss." "Wait I know that voice…" whispered Kye to herself, "NO!" she said out loud accidently. "Slade…" she thought in her head. "Who's there?" Slade asked, "Go check it out," Slade said as he pushed Tyler towards the door. Tyler slowly started walking out. "We have to go. NOW," Blaze whispered to Kye. "I can't leave without Tyler," Kye said. "Your funeral…" Blaze said as he started running away. "Kye?" Tyler said as he looked at his little sister peering in the window. Suddenly, a gunshot went off Tyler jumped on Kye to cover her.

They looked about 100 meters away, and saw Blaze's body on the ground. "BLAZE!" Kye yelled. "Shhh!" Tyler said to Kye, covering her mouth. Then the two of them ran behind a bush. Slade stepped off the doorstep of the house, and reloaded his gun. "You know, Tyler, there's really no point in hiding," "Stay here," whispered Tyler to Kye. Tyler walked out of the bushes towards Slade. Slade turned around and grabbed Tyler by the arms.

"Where's the other, I know there were two." Slade said with a glare. "I couldn't find the other one..." Tyler lied. Slade laughed. "You have a lot to learn about loyalty, kid," Slade said. He then walked over, reached into the Bushes, and pulled Kye out by just her sweatshirt. Kye gasped as she was lifted from the bushes. "Oh how sweet. Family reunion," Slade said sarcastically. "Don't hurt her!" Tyler yelled as two of Slades other men walked out of the house and held him back.

The two men dragged Tyler back into the house. "I just wanted to see my brother," Kye said as Slade tied her hands and feet together. "Well you came to the wrong place, sweetheart. Your brother is one of my men now, and we can't afford any distractions," Slade responded as he tied a towel around Kye's mouth. Slade kicked her in the stomach. "Did you miss your uncle Slade?" Slade asked as he continued to kick Kye. "Learn to let go, kid, soon you'll have nothing left." Slade gave one more punch to Kye's eye... "Bring the kid!" yelled Slade to the two men inside the house, as he threw Kye over his shoulder and started carrying her down a trail.

A few minutes later, they walked onto an empty boat dock. Slade threw Kye on the ground. Kye moaned from the pain. Slade crouched down by Kye, who was laying on the ground. "Don't worry, the pain will be over soon," Slade whispered to Kye. At this point, Kye didn't care. She had no one. Kye knew that the minute Slade no longer needed Tyler, he would be gone. "I'm done fighting," Kye said as she layed on the ground. "Good," Slade responded, "It wouldn't matter anyways." By this time, the two men arrived with Tyler. He had two black eyes, a limp, and ripped clothes.

"DON'T HURT HER!" Tyler screamed. Slade grabbed Kye and put her at the end of the pier. She was standing facing the water. "Oh I won't be the one hurting her," Slade said as he grabbed Tyler by the wrist and placed a gun in his hand. "No," Tyler said, "I won't do it." "If not her death, yours," Slade said as he held a gun up to Tylers head. Tears were streaming down Tylers face as he held up the gun at his sister, his hands, shaking. Kye turned around. She was able to loosen the rag ties around her mouth. "Tyler, it's ok, just do it," she yelled. Tyler shot the gun, hitting Kye below the left side of her ribs. She collapsed.

"KYE!" Tyler screamed in tears. Suddenly, two discs slid across the pier, and exploded. They were smoke bombs. Kye watched as a familiar shadow picked her up off the pier. Suddenly, a gun went off. As she was being carried away, she looked back and saw a body fall. "Ty…" she said softly before blacking out.


	5. Chapter 5

Kye woke up a day later. "Where am I? Ughhh," she groaned from the pain. She looked over at a clock. "8PM? How long was I out?" Kye thought. She looked around some more, then looked down at herself. She had bandages wrapped around her torso, and bruises all over her arms and legs. "Take it easy," said a british voice out of nowhere, "You took quite the hit." Kye looked at the man walking towards her.

"Who are you?" she asked. "My name is Alfred." "Okay?" Kye responded, "Now would you be able to tell me where I am?" "I'm afraid it's not my place to tell…" "It's alright Alfred, I can handle this from here," interrupted Bruce Wayne, while walking over to the bed Kye was laying on. "Can I get you anything, Sir?" "We're good for now, Alfred, Thank you." Alfred walked out. "Hold up, what's going on? Why am I in some strangers house? What happened?" Then Kye remembered…

"Tyler!" she gasped as she threw off her covers and tried getting out of bed. Kye groaned from pain trying to get up. "Woah woah woah. Take it easy," Bruce said as he tried to settle Kye down. Kye sat up and looked at Bruce. "Is he ok?" she said quietly. Bruce grabbed Kye's hand. "I'm sorry," Kye looked at Bruce with wide eyes, and said nothing. She then laid back down. A tear came running down her cheek as she stood there quietly. "Slade is going to pay."

Bruce looked down, then back up at Kye. "As I said to a certain 7 year old once, emotion doesn't make you weak, it's what you do with it that makes you weak," Batman said. Kye suddenly remembered that night. "Batman said that to me once… Wait…" "My name is Bruce Wayne," Bruce said.

"You're the billionaire who parents were killed when you were younger," Kye said, "Kids in the orphanage talk about you all the time. You're like, an image of hope in a way…" Bruce smiled. "Thats one reason I do what I do," he said, "But the main reason why is that, vengeance is not succeeded by killing. All it does is make you no better than the man who killed my parents, or who killed yours. You put yourself down to his level."

"This man has taken everything from me," Kye said as she started tearing up. Bruce took the covers of the bed and put them back over Kye. She looked at him for a few seconds. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "I see something in you that many others have yet to see… Now I have a question for you," He continued, "We both know Ms. Herschel is not who she says she is. We need to figure out what move you want to make."

"When I got home from the hospital, she came into my room and threatened me and my brother," Kye explained. "She won't hurt you. She's not going to be able to hurt you, or your brother. Not from prison," said Bruce. Kye closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok. Let's do it," Kye said, "What's our first move?" Bruce cracked a smile. "Right now, you need to return to Herschels. She hasn't filed any police reports of you missing, so you should be fine," said Bruce. "She probably didn't even notice..." Kye said.

Bruce continued, "I will cover up any tracks of you coming or even being here. As far as that meeting with the investigators, you are going to tell them everything about Herschel. Don't worry about the threat to you and your brother. While the investigation is going on, I will offer to house you here." Kye nodded.

Later, Kye returned to Herschels. It was about 2AM Monday morning when she walked up to the door. Her side was still in pain every step she took. Alfred had given her a shot to ease the pain, however, it still hurt. She slowly walked in, quietly shutting the door and ran up to her room.

When she got up to her room, the light was on. Kye smiled and barged into the room. "JAMES!..." "Not quite." Herschel said sitting in a chair in the room. Kye's smile faded. "Would you like to tell me where you were?" Herschel asked. "Like you care." Kye responded. "Actually, I don't," Herschel said as she got up and grabbed Kye by the collar of her sweatshirt. Kye gasped of pain.

"If you expose me or this orphanage, there will be severe consequences, and I do know people who can and will take everything from you," Herschel said. "I have nothing left to take." Kye said as she glared Herschel in the eyes. Herschel threw Kye onto the mattress on the ground. Kye groaned in pain as she slammed into the hard mattress. Herschel kneeled down and grabbed Kye's collar again.

"Now I'm not going to ask again, WHERE. WERE. YOU?" Herschel said sternly only inches from Kye's face. Kye smiled and said nothing. Herschel slapped Kye across the face. Herschel got up and walked towards the door. "Investigators are coming tomorrow. If you want to see Jamsie again, I'd suggest you'd go with the original plan." Herschel said as she walked out and turned off the lights.

Kye sighed as she layed back on the mattress. "What am I going to do?" she thought, "Do what Batman said, or see James again?" she continued, "But if I say the truth, the police will release James. How can Herschel hurt him from prison? She did say she has people. I mean, how did she know I was coming back tonight? Ugh… I wonder if James even knows about Tyler," Kye thought all these things consistently the rest of the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

At 6 in the morning, there was a knock on the door by Lucy, the maid, to get ready for school. Kye slowly got up. She barely got any sleep. She held her side where the gunshot wound was, hoping it all was a dream.

She put on her uniform for school, and walked out to the bathroom across the hall. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was shocked at how beaten she looked. Left eye swollen and black, dried blood under her nose, cut lip, and a dark circle under her right eye from lack of sleep.

Kye put some water in her hands and splashed it on her face, and wiped off the dry blood. While she was brushing her teeth, a young (6 yr. old) orphan named Lily walked passed the bathroom and saw Kye. "What happened to your face?!" she yelled. "Nothing." Kye said as she spit the water out of her mouth, and walked out of the bathroom gently pushing Lily aside. Kye grabbed her backpack and headed towards the door to walk to school.

Herschel stepped in front of Kye, blocking the door. Kye looked up at Herschel and raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to school today. The investigators are coming in a half hour." "Ok." Kye said as she walked back upstairs. She went back to the mirror and looked at herself again. "What did I do to deserve this?" she thought as she lightly touched her swollen eye.

She closed the bathroom door and lifted her shirt to see her torso all wrapped up. She slowly removed the wrap. There were 10 stitches down her side. She stared at it for a few seconds in shock. "Kye, honey!" she heard Ms. Herschel call from downstairs. Kye rolled her eyes as she knew the investigators were downstairs. "Be right down!" Kye yelled as she grabbed the wrap and wrapped her torso again. She walked downstairs and there were two men. One was short and round, and one was average height and skinny.

They were both dressed nicely in button up shirts and ties. "Come on into the dining room." Herschel said as she directed the two men. In the dining room, there was a smaller table set up with water set out. Kye and Herschel sat down next to each other on one side, while the investigators sat on the other. "So Kye, we are just going to start out and ask you a few questions," the shorter man said, "What is your version of the story of what put you in the hospital? What happened, and how did you get your injuries?" Kye looked at the investigators, then at Lucy, who was cleaning behind where the two men were sitting.

Lucy just gave Kye a slow nod to tell the truth. Then she looked at Herschel. Herschel gave Kye a glare and then said, "It's ok, sweetie, tell them what happened." she told Kye with a fake smile. Kye look at the investigators. "I accidently fell off the stairs," Kye said, "I was messing around with some other kids, and I wasn't looking where I was going," Kye said. "So nobody pushed you?" the investigator asked. "No." Kye responded.

After a couple more questions, the investigators wrapped up the interview. "Thank you for your time." They said as they started walking towards the door. Kye looked at Herschel, who smiled deviously at Kye. Kye then remembered her conversation with Bruce. "She can't hurt me from prison," Kye thought to herself…

"WAIT!" she yelled as she started running towards the investigators. Herschel grabbed Kye's hand. Kye just ripped her arm away. "Ms. Herschel did it! She's the one who beat me! She abuses all of the kids here!" Kye yelled quickly as Herschel grabbed her arm and threw Kye against the wall. Kye's head slammed as Herschel started choking Kye. "I will destroy you." Herschel said quietly with rage.

The investigators ran to pry Herschel off of Kye. Once they got her off, Kye fell to the ground. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and the last thing she heard was, "Linda Herschel, you are under arrest."

Kye woke up in the hospital 24 hours later. She looked across the room and saw someone get up and walk towards her. At first, her vision was blurred. Once the person got closer to her, her vision cleared. "James…" Kye said as she cracked a smile. James looked at her for a second and then hugged her.

Tears were streaming down both of their faces. James pulled his chair right up next to the hospital bed and sat in it. He grabbed Kye's hand and looked at her. "I have to tell you something," James said, "Tyler. He's…" "Dead." Kye interrupted. "How did you know?" James asked. Kye looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "I was there," Kye said quietly so that nobody else heard. James looked at Kye for a few seconds, then got up and quickly went to go shut the door, then walked back over beside Kye's bed. "You didn't tell the cops!?" James said with concern, "Who killed him.?" Kye sat up and grabbed James' hand to settle him down. James sat back down and Kye looked him in the eye.

"Slade." she said. James leaned back and put his face in his hands. "I thought he already took everything from us," James said, "Did he hurt you?" Kye had her hand on her side where the shot wound was. "No." James said. Kye rolled up her shirt and showed James the shot wound. James was in shock. "How did you get out alive?" he asked. "I barely did," Kye explained, "Tyler shot me against his will," "Why would he do that?" James asked. "I told him to. Slade had a gun to his head. Then…" Kye said as she wondered if she should even tell him.

"Batman saved me." James looked at her in shock. Then stood there in silence to let everything sink in. "Where's Herschel?" Kye asked. "She's being held at the police station," James said. The orphanage is going to be closed down and everyone is going to be moved to a temporary one across the city.

I will be with them, while someone has offered to take you in. His name is Bruce Wayne," James took a deep breath, "And you are going to take the offer." "No," Kye said as she started crying, "I'm not leaving you, James!"

"It's for the best if you do," he said.


	7. Chapter 7

Kye and James talked to each other for hours until a lady came into the room. She was professionally dressed in a pencil skirt and a nice blouse. She was a social worker. "Time to go, James." she said. James got up and gave Kye a hug. "You have to take the offer," he said to her, "But.." "Do it for me. Please." James said. He kissed his sister on the forehead, then walked out, nodding to her as he left the room.

The next day, Kye was released from the hospital. It was part of the hospital protocol that Kye had to leave in a wheel chair. Though she was being released, she still had cuts and bruises all over her body, and many other injuries. Her face still looked really beat up. As one of the nurses rolled Kye down the hallway, people stared at Kye, once they made eye contact with her, they'd look away.

Once they reached the entrance, the nurse helped Kye out of the wheelchair. Then, a familiar face walked through the door. There were a few camera men behind taking pictures. "Hi, my name is Bruce Wayne." The man said as he put out his hand to greet Kye. Kye slightly smiled. "Kye Drees." she shook his hand. Alfred took her things and put them in the trunk. Bruce opened the limo door for Kye. She went in and Bruce followed. Bruce closed the door. "Thank you," Kye said. "More than happy to do this," Bruce responded with a smile, then put his arm around Kye, giving her a one arm hug. "We're just getting started," Bruce said. Kye smiled while she looked up at Bruce, and nodded.

Once Kye got to Wayne manor, she was in awe of how big it was. Alfred helped her out of the limo. "You live here!?" she said. "Quite nice, isn't it?" Alfred said. "This place is huge!"

Once they got inside. Kye's mouth dropped at how big the mansion was. Alfred walked her up to her room. "Oh my gosh…" Kye said as she walked into her room. "Tell me if you need anything, I will bring your things up momentarily." Alfred said. "Thanks, Alfred," Kye said as she grinned. Alfred walked out of the room. "Wow… My own room, my own bed, everything…" Kye said to herself. Kye looked at her queen-sized bed.

She laid down on it just to test it out. As she laid there, she slowly drifted to sleep. A few minutes later, Bruce walked into the room to check on her, and found her asleep. He walked over beside the bed, and pulled a blanket over her. "Sleep tight. God knows you deserve it," Bruce said as he walked out, and turned off the lights.

(Kye's Dream)

Kye looked around her. She was in her old room that she shared with her 4 other siblings. The old ratty apartment she lived in with her family.

Kye walked out of her room, and into the living room where her mother was standing, Kye sprinted into her mothers arms. "Mom!" Kye cried. "My baby." Her mother responded with a smile then squeezed her daughter tightly. Tears were running down Kye's face. Kye turned around and saw her father walk out of his office. "Daddy…" Kye ran to her father. He picked her up and held her tightly. "I miss you…" Kye said softly. "I miss you too, baby girl," He responded, "Stay strong, alright?" He said as he put his daughter down.

He walked over to his wife, other daughter, and baby standing on the other side of the room. Suddenly, gunshots went off, and one by one they dropped to the ground. "NO!" Kye said as she ran across the room. Then, the bodies faded away and disappeared, and Kye found herself at the docks.

She looked about 20 meters away and saw Tyler and James just standing there. Suddenly, Slade appeared behind them, holding guns to their heads. Smoke arose from out of nowhere, then shots fired, and Kye saw two bodies fall.

Kye woke up screaming. She started crying, putting herself in a fetal position. A few seconds later, Bruce ran into the room. He walked over to Kye and wrapped his arms around her. "You're ok." He said softly. Kye laid her head on his chest. "Why me?" Kye said. "I ask myself that everyday," Bruce said as he got up, "Let me show you some thing." Kye followed Bruce downstairs.

He went over to a clock and pulled a lever. The clock split open and lead to a staircase. Kye followed Bruce down the stairs. "Woah…" Kye said as she saw the bat cave. "I don't just show anyone this place," Bruce said as he turned around to Kye, "I want to help you see what real justice looks like. The sight of a man behind bars instead of a grave." Kye looked at Bruce. "What are you saying?" Kye asked.

Bruce stuck out his hand. "Partners?" he asked. Kye looked around the cave for a second, then at Bruce. "Partners." She said as she shook his hand and smiled.


End file.
